


Wish List

by sanctuary_for_all



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Established Relationship, F/M, Feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-11
Updated: 2014-12-11
Packaged: 2018-03-01 01:58:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,209
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2755319
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sanctuary_for_all/pseuds/sanctuary_for_all
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony has only one thing he wants to give Pepper for Christmas. (Post all three "Iron Man" movies)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Wish List

"I need to talk to you about something." Tony dropped down on the couch next to Pepper, pulling the tablet out of her hand and setting it far enough away that she'd have to drape herself across him to get it back. Not that she wasn't willing, but she normally got so distracted in the process that the quarterly report was the last thing on her mind.

Tony grinned, as if he could see what she was thinking, and stole a kiss.  When they broke apart, she tried to give him her best stern look. "You said you needed to talk to me about something. This isn't talking."

"Oh, but it's so much more fun than talking." Still, his expression grew more serious. "I need to talk to you about your Christmas present."

Pepper winced inwardly. She loved Tony desperately, but he still hadn't quite figured out how to buy gifts for the people he'd cared about. The necklace he'd given her for Valentine's Day made with the pieces of shrapnel had been touching, but the island he'd bought her for her birthday had been a little overdramatic. "Just make me something, Tony." She pressed a kiss against his cheek. "That's all I need." Yes, there would probably be an explosion or two as he worked on the prototype, but she was used to that. "Not a jetpack, though. I'm still giving you a firm no on the jetpack."

"I'm going to surprise you with that one day, and when I do you'll regret every day you spent without it." A moment later, though, his expression sobered. "I've kind of already made what I want to give you."

That surprised her – normally, she and JARVIS kept track of everything Tony was working on. She supposed one of the other people in the tower could help him keep it a secret, but normally they were on her side when it came to helping Tony avoid potential disaster. "Please tell me it's not the assault vehicle you've been modifying."

"No, that's for Rhodey." He smirked briefly. "He needs something more interesting than Scotch this year."

When that flash of humor faded quickly as well, it worried her enough that she pulled back slightly. There was only one thing she could think of that would make him get that look. "I know you haven't given up Iron Man completely, and I understand that," she said, voice calm and in control even though something inside her was shaking. "But unless you're blowing up your last suit, nothing you could do with that is a gift for me."

"No." He caught her hands. "Not even I'm enough of an idiot to think that, I swear."

The knot in her chest eased, just a little. "What is it, then? If you were afraid about my Christmas present breaking state and federal law or being a fire hazard, you would have approached this entirely differently."

"True." Tony looked down at their joined hands, then back up at her. He seemed almost hesitant, an expression that only a handful of people had ever seen on Tony Stark's face. Even at his most infuriating, Pepper still considered it a gift that she was one of them.

Her expression softened. "Just tell me, Tony." She smiled a little. "So I can start arranging bail money, if nothing else."

His lips curved upward for a moment, just like she'd wanted them to. "No need. The only one who can get me naked these days is you." Then he let out a breath. "There's a way I should do this. Skywriting, a full orchestra and choir, exotic flowers flown in from places whose names I can't pronounce, the whole deal." He lifted his eyebrows, looking impish for a moment. "I even considered hiring a flash mob, but JARVIS talked me out of that one."

Pepper glanced upward, amused. "Thank you, JARVIS."

"I do try."

"He didn't have to argue that hard. Flash mobs are very 2011." Then he looked down again, thumb lightly stroking over her knuckles. "The thing is, we haven't really talked about this," he said quietly. "And if I asked, and you said no, it would kill me."

Pepper's breath went when she realized what he was talking about. "Tony ...."

His hands tightened on hers. "Because I don't have to ask, really. We can just keep going on, exactly like we are, and I will be the happiest billionaire alive." He met her eyes, everything about him urgent. "You're the best thing that ever happened to me, and I will do this however you want to do this for as long as you'll let me."

She swallowed, every complication flashing through her mind. Legally, the complications that came with being married were really no more or no less than you made them, these days, and he'd started putting her name down on half the titles after the Battle of New York. It was impossible for her to leave him, married or not, but that had nothing to do with paperwork.

The emotional complications, however ... they were a different story.

Pepper slid her hands free of his, and there was a flicker of genuine fear on his face before she laid her hands against the sides of his face. Her heart, historically nowhere near as good as her head at being sensible, clenched tight. "Where did this come from?"

His lips curved upward again as he hooked a hand lightly around her wrist. "If you're asking whether I feel we've hit some imaginary deadline, I can promise you the answer is no. JARVIS has been listening to me argue about this with myself for awhile."

"It's true." JARVIS admitted. "I have audio files, if you—"

"No." Tony cut him off, making shushing motions with his free hand, and when he met her eyes again she found herself smiling without meaning to. "Don't listen to him. There's no way you'd want to—"

She was the one to cut Tony off this time, leaning forward for the kind of kiss that he had previously said was the only thing other than alcohol that shut off his brain. His hand slid down her arm to her shoulders, other one moving around her back to pull her closer, and for a moment the world disappeared in a warm rush.

When they broke apart, she pulled back just far enough to look at him again. The light from the window glowed green briefly, part of the Christmas arrangement he'd insisted on programming into the tower for the holidays, but the shine in his eyes was so much brighter. It always had been, even before she'd been able to fully admit to herself how much she lived by that light.

"If you get killed," she whispered fiercely, "I swear I will follow you into the afterlife and make you _very_ sorry."

"I know." The words were rough. "I live in fear of you."

"Good." She closed the small distance between them, her eyes wet. "Then there's no need to be worried about my answer will be."

He closed his eyes, the emotion clear on his face. "Best Christmas present ever."

Then their lips met again, and there was no more that needed to be said.

**Author's Note:**

> Come check out my weekly posts and original short fiction on my [blog](http://jennifferwardell.blogspot.com) or say hi to me on [Tumblr](http://sanctuaryforalluniverses.tumblr.com)!


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